


Unspoken Words

by Tallulah



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alcohol, F/M, Light Angst, Loneliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-28
Updated: 2008-12-28
Packaged: 2018-12-26 01:06:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12048129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tallulah/pseuds/Tallulah
Summary: Mogi helps a drunken Misa home after her meal with Takada.





	Unspoken Words

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for 12daysChristmas on LiveJournal, prompt "shattered dreams".

By the time they're back at the apartment, Misa has stopped shouting to passers-by that she won and has moved on to explaining to Mogi why Christmas is the best day ever and that's why she was born on it. Mogi only hopes that she and Raito don't have any more wine in the house. He's holding her arm and trying to unlock the front door, his fingers cold and she's deliberately leaning off-balance and then falling against him, shrieking with laughter. At least it isn't sleeting.

He opens the door at last and they stumble inside, Misa almost immediately capsizing onto her knees and slumping against the wall. She's still giggling. Mogi closes the front door behind them - the hallway is ice-cold anyway, and, as he expected, Raito isn't home - and is just wondering whether it's worth giving Misa her keys back when he realises that she isn't laughing any more.

"Mochi," she wails, drawing her knees up to her chest, "Misa is _cold_..."

"I'll put the heating on. You stay there, all right?" 

She doesn't seem to hear him, but she doesn't move, and so he hurries into the bathroom to switch the boiler on. It seems like every time he comes in here Misa has bought more shampoos, more make-up, more hand towels or scented candles to fill up the rest of the space; if you didn't know, you'd find it hard to guess that a man keeps his possessions here too. The radiators growl as the heating wakes up; back in the hallway, Misa has curled up with her head resting on her knees, hanks of blonde hair brushing her legs. 

"How are you feeling?" he says, hoping the answer won't be _like I want more wine_.

A pause, then, "Misa won."

"I... yes. Why don't you come and have some water? It's too cold out here." He always ends up saying more to Misa than to anyone else, filling the silences with unnecessary words, wanting her to know that just because he doesn't talk much doesn't mean he's not listening to her. Misa struggles to her feet - her cheeks are blotchy as if the wine has seeped through her skin - and falls heavily forward, clutching at his arms. 

After a few seconds - as if she were taken aback by the fall - she begins to talk again, about how she and Raito will have the best Christmas ever, how she needs to buy a tree, how she needs to remind Raito to do his Christmas shopping. "Because Raito always _forgets_ , Mochi. He's so clever and so smart but he forgets 'cause, 'cause he's silly! 'Cause men are like that, riiiiight?"

He is usually the designated driver because when he drinks he only becomes sleepy - once or twice he's had a momentary blip of increased volume and volubility, but he always finds it slightly embarrassing when that happens because everyone around him must know it's only the alcohol talking. Conversely, he doesn't have to talk back when people are making drunken conversation because no one would expect it of him no matter how much they'd had. So he concentrates only on helping Misa into the kitchen, settling her at a chair, pouring her a glass of water. She raises it vaguely to him - or perhaps to the light fittings, he isn't sure - and slurs out, "Cheers! Come _on_ , Mochi, you're not _trying_." 

Feeling stupid, he gets himself a glass too, toasts her back. He'd only do something like that with Misa.

" _And_ I got all the free wine," Misa says. "Stupid Kiyomi. If she wants to pay for my drinks, let her, don't you? Don't you think? Because he said he would love me forever and she doesn't know that!"

They drink more water. Mogi realises that he hasn't put the light on, but perhaps it's better not; perhaps the half-darkness will calm Misa down a bit. A faint glow oozes like mist through the window anyway; the view is dotted with pinpoints of coloured light. He can't see the stars, but he knows they must be out there; it's too cold for clouds.

"You should get some sleep, Misa," he says at last. 

"Misa- _Misa_!" She raises a finger, and then she starts mumbling her own name, giggling, _misa-misa-misa-misa_. But then abruptly she seems to take in what he's said, gets up, hurries into her bedroom, bouncing absently off the walls as she goes. He isn't sure whether to follow, but she could easily trip over something and a skull fracture is the last thing she needs right now.

The bedroom is still cold and Misa has taken one stocking off and is now standing looking hopelessly around as if she doesn't know what to do next. Mogi isn't sure he knows what to do next either. In the end he takes the stocking from her, and he's about to suggest she just take her jewellery off but she's talking again, loudly, explaining how Kiyomi doesn't understand Raito, how could Kiyomi ever understand Raito like Misa does? And so Mogi undoes her necklace and slides her bracelets off, feeling as if he's taking advantage of her somehow (perhaps just because he shouldn't be here, it should be Raito who is helping his drunken almost-fiancee to get to bed, and damn it, if Raito were here and not Kira his almost-fiancee probably wouldn't have got drunk at all). 

Misa wanders away from him, falls onto the bed. She's gone a bit paler now, and then suddenly all at once she's crying. It's not loud drunk-crying, it's tears wriggling down her face as if she's too tired to stop them, and she doesn't seem to care that he can see them, either.

"Try and sleep," he says again, pointlessly.

"Misa... Misa always cries when she's had too much wine..." She rolls over, rubs her eyes with her fists. "But Misa is so _tired_..." And then she says, "Mochi could stay?"

"I'll sit with you."

"Misa's cold. Mochi could..." She's trembling now, and her blonde hair makes her look even paler, and her red skin is like someone threw wine in her face instead. "Mochi could make Misa warm?"

"You've had too much to drink." He wonders what he'll do if she persists. 

God, he really shouldn't be here.

But Misa just nods, snuggles down under the covers. Mogi sits on the chair nearby. There's very little sign of Raito in here either; just Misa's clothes and make-up and jewellery draped over most available surfaces. The curtains are closed, and spots of light slide in and glint off beads and lipstick cases.

Just as he thinks Misa's fallen asleep, she mumbles, "Misa knows he doesn't..."

But he doesn't answer this. When you're naturally silent, you can get away with that sort of avoidance tactic, and soon Misa's breathing, a little snuffly, has slowed and there is just that and the dark. There are still no stars.


End file.
